Europe bans UK from deporting criminals

Tuesday 28 June 2011 13:47 BST

Two serious criminals from Somalia were today spared deportation after a ruling by European judges which could allow dozens more foreign offenders to stay in Britain.

The Home Office was seeking to send Abdisamad Adow Sufi, 24, who has convictions for burglary and making a threat to kill, and convicted class-A drug dealer Abdiaziz Ibrahim Elmi, 42, back to their home country.

The European Court of Human Rights ruled today, however, that the level of violence was too great to allow them to be returned and that there was a risk that they would be subject to inhumane treatment. It also backed an appeal by the pair on the grounds that there was a risk of them being flogged by members of the extremist group al-Shabaab because they would not be used to complying with its strict Islamic codes of conduct. Both men argued that deportation would breach Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which prohibits torture and inhumane treatment.